Gov. Roy Cooper Tours CCC&TI Watauga Campus

Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute President Dr. Mark Poarch leads a tour of campus for North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, while in the High Country Friday, visited the Watauga Campus of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute.

After speaking with local community college and business leaders about the importance of workforce training, Cooper toured several classrooms and labs on campus. In addition to seeing the Nursing and Medical Assisting program labs, Cooper visited the Culinary Arts kitchen where a group of children were completing the final week of a “Kids in the Kitchen” cooking camp.

Cooper said it’s his goal to visit community colleges across the state because they are the focal point of preparing people for better paying jobs.

“We’ve got the jobs, but we need to get the people trained and into those jobs,” he said. “I look forward to working with this community college and others to make life better for North Carolinians and to make us a North Carolina that works for everyone.”

Cooper, who was joined by First Lady Kristin Cooper, concluded by answering questions from the media and taking photos. Following the CCC&TI tour, Cooper spoke about economic development at the Appalachian Theatre in downtown Boone.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper speaks about the importance of community colleges in workforce development during a tour of Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute’s Watauga Campus in Boone on Friday.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and First Lady Kristin Cooper speak with Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute Watauga Campus Culinary Arts Instructor Robert Back during a tour Friday.